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Saru 6,488

Saru
6,488

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that a significant forum update was in the works and now that we are a bit closer to launch I wanted to provide some additional details about what is changing and what is being added/removed.

The following are a few of the major changes that will be taking place:

Text editor

The existing editor is being replaced with a new WYSIWYG editor which means that what you see on the editor while you write your post is exactly how it will look on the forum. BBCodes will no longer be necessary and the post preview option has been removed. The new editor will also support a large array of embedding options for social media thus allowing you to embed Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pictures and more simply by pasting in the link. The editor also offers the ability to remove unwanted formatting when pasting in quotes from other websites.

Activity streams

The 'View new content' page is being replaced with a whole new system that offers several different options for keeping tabs on what's happening on the forums including the ability to create your own customized activity streams based on your own interests and preferences.

Improved mobile support

Support for mobile devices on the current forum is somewhat limited and as such the upgrade is bringing a completely redesigned, responsive mobile forum layout that maintains the overall look of the desktop version while offering a suite of mobile-friendly tools. The mobile menu has also been redesigned to make things easier than ever to use on the go.

Improved profiles

Member profiles have been completely redesigned in the new version and now provide a stream of your posts, status updates, likes and other activity on the forums. The old 'friends' system has also been dropped in favor of a new 'follow' mechanic that works in much the same way as it does on Facebook, enabling other members to keep in touch and to be notified when you post a topic/status etc. It will also be possible to personalize your profile with a cover photo.

Real-time notifications

The notification system will be taking advantage of modern browser features to provide real-time notices based on your notification preferences so that you will be alerted to something new while on the forums without having to refresh the page first.

Logging in

The confusing "login name"/"display name" system is being changed so that you will now only have one username - the one that people see on the forums. During the update the "login name" field will be dropped in favor of your display name. It will still also be possible to log in using your account's e-mail address however.

As an example, if your login name is "John Doe" and your display name is "John324" then after the update you will need to use "John324" to log in. If both your login name and display name are the same or if you use your e-mail address to log in then you won't notice any difference.

Database rebuild

It is worth noting that immediately after the upgrade we will need to rebuild the posts table in the database which will take a few days. While this is happening some of the forum's features won't work such as the search and the formatting in old posts.

When is it happening ?

I'm unable to provide a specific date just yet but this is all very much in the works and is progressing well.

This was actually something that was looked in to at length as there is a converter tool to do this. The problem though is that if friends are converted automatically in to followers then they will begin receiving notifications that they didn't sign up for and might not want.

On that basis it's best that friends aren't carried over - anyone who wants to follow someone else can then do so after the update.

Saru
6,488

I've built the new template to resemble the current design as closely as possible so while it won't be exactly the same as the current forum, it will look very similar. The header, logo and color scheme are also more or less the same so it will all still feel like UM.

For mobile devices though the new design will be a significant improvement over the current one.

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the-Unexpected-Soul 271

the-Unexpected-Soul
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I've built the new template to resemble the current design as closely as possible so while it won't be exactly the same as the current forum, it will look very similar. The header, logo and color scheme are also more or less the same so it will all still feel like UM.

For mobile devices though the new design will be a significant improvement over the current one.

i guess many people got used to this look iv seen it before that people dislike to change what they are used to, me personally i don't mind visual changes

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Saru 6,488

Saru
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i guess many people got used to this look iv seen it before that people dislike to change what they are used to

Yes I think it's fair to expect that some people might not be too keen at first because we've been running the current forum software for so long, but ultimately it is something that needed to be done sooner or later and I think the new version is an important step forward for the site.

Also regarding the design - the colors and layout can always be tweaked later so nothing is set in stone.